Friday, September 22, 2017

Red Hood and the Outlaws #14 VOL. 2

I saved this read in case Trinity was bad. Anyway...

Bizarro has changed and now we get to see how much.

SPOILERS AHEAD


After Lex Luthor saved his life and upped his intelligence Bizarro decided he wanted to help out his team more. He's become the tech guy that created jetpacks and teleporting discs for his friends. Jason and Artemis take out Pyg, cure Pyg's victims and steal from Penguin.

Ma Gunn tells Bizarro about the letters Willis wrote. Curiously Bizarro dismisses it telling her Jason needs to focus. Artemis and Jason discuss whether a smart Bizarro is a bad thing only to be interrupted by Bizarro showing them his newest creations--their new headquarters. They have some problems with some ideas Bizarro has but are alerted to a situation.

Victor Zsasz has escaped Arkham after bribing a guard. They quickly catch him. Bizarro finds the guard and all seems to be wrapped up. Jason says Artemis will come around and says good night to Bizarro and thanks him for everything. A sad Bizarro talks to his old self who asks if he realizes this won't last. Smart Bizarro sadly acknowledges that.



Overall: I like the slow build up of Gunn feeling bad about her past actions and her uncertainty about what to do about it. She reveals she hid all of her charges letters from their parents to control them. Jason is someone she could make amends with, in fact he seems to be the one that's redeeming her as she previously was going back to her old ways.

It's eerie to see Bizarro acting like Clark and Lex. The Clark like expressions and seemingly Clark like advise to Gunn. Then hint that he was actually acting in a more Lex like way to keep the information from Jason. It could be for genuine heartfelt reasons (to protect Jason) or more calculated reasons (to keep his mind on the mission to complete their agenda.) I'm also reminded of Bruce keeping the fact Wilis died (Post-Crisis) from Jason. Here, no matter why he did it, Bizarro looks like he's being manipulative. The ambiguity is intriguing even if I don't want him to take after Lex.

Yet I see hints of it like him carelessly suggesting his friends are a distraction from his work. Something that is even more wtf when you remember he has super speed. Artemis catches the implication while Jason is more in awe of what Bizarro has done. She sees the possible problems with his intellect while Jason is more optimistic, at least at first. A nice change for Jason that speaks of his faith and shows how much he's opened up to others.

Issue #7 had Artemis raising questions about how safe Bizarro was to Jason. This made him take a long look and decide whether he was a threat or not. I like that she's the one to bring it up again as Jason might not want to see these things. Jason empathizes with Bizarro and the clone is a success story where Duella was a failure. He isn't blind as he points out Bizarro is being a little too proactive and invasive.

On the one hand it's incredible to see Jason/the Outlaws finally getting a proper base with an armory and having access to all that tech. On the other Bizarro seems to be going too far. His ability to access locations that are meant to be private headquarters for other heroes is incredible but it's also overstepping boundaries. Bizarro assumes it's no big deal to go to the fortress of solitude because he's basically Superman 's little brother since he's his clone. Never mind the fact they don't even have that relationship. Artemis points out the fact their not being invited to these places but rather intruding.

This is following a somewhat subtle thread Jason had from the first volume when they get Crux's ship. Jason realized they could listen into other frequencies and get information. Something he would have done to his benefits when he first came back to Gotham. Or the alien weapons Stafire had on her island. Jason realized he could use both to his advantage but also knew he should resist the temptation to do so.

Victor Zsasz, the guy that adds another tally to his skin after killing, has always been  a rogue I felt was pretty overrated. So I'm glad he's not in this more. We see with the guard that Bizarro has indeed kept his heart. I've wondered how long this smart Bizarro story would go on for. Because I have my doubts that other writers would bother to write Bizarro like this if they can't even get Rebirth Bizarro right. Trinity is proof of that. A great issue, no complaints here.





Say What?: Jason remarks how cool flying is and Artemis states she doesn't disagree. As if she can't just agree with someone. This is also kind of a call back to Jason previously asking if she can fly and Artemis saying it eluded her.

Artemis questions if Pyg ever met Red Hood before and he breaks the fourth wall to say he hasn't in continuity. So to anyone that's wondering the stuff with Morrison, Scarlett, etc. isn't canon. But mostly I thought this was hilarious because it's so unexpected.

Artemis: Must you antagonize everyone?

Really Ar, you of all people ask that?

A week has passed since Bizarro changed and Gunn has decided to tell him about the letters.

I love that much like Kori said during the DOTF tie in Artemis finds it weird that Jason grew up in Gotham. Well Crime Alley here.

Brainzarro. That's cute Jason.

The secret headquarters are "only" a city block wide.

Once again thank you for mentioning "For the man who has everything" as canon, Lobdell. More should be aware of how awesome Jason was in that story.



Did You Notice?: Look I know Artemis is tall but that shot of them in the armory gives her REALLY long legs.

Visually Bizarro's doorway reminds me of the chamber of all.



Questions Raised?: Why didn't Bizarro let Gunn give the letters to Jason? Is it because he doesn't want to spend his limited time with a stressed out Jason? Does he think Jason is better off not knowing?

Who does Bizarro expect to sit at their war room table besides them? As Jason noted there's extra seats. Four extra. Making the total seven which is usually the number many see for an ideal Justice League roster.

If Bizarro is an Outlaw how can he speak at someone's hearing?

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